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42% of Young Japanese Saw Rent Increase in 2025 According to a new survey, 42% of young Japanese people who renewed their rental contracts in 2025 saw their rent increase. Over 1,000 Japanese people in their 20s and 30s who are living in rented accommodation were surveyed by Crecari — a company that provides a service for paying rent by credit card. According to Crecari, rent increases are becoming more common because of increased property taxes, as well as the increasing costs of repairing old buildings and constructing new ones. The survey participants who said their rent increased in 2025 were also asked how much their rent went up. The most common answer, at 43%, was between 5,000 yen and 10,000 yen — or somewhere between $32 and $64. When asked how they felt when they found out about their rent increase, 49% said they thought managing their living expenses was likely to become difficult. Thirty-one percent said they would need to negotiate the rent, and another 30% said they would need to think about moving. And when asked what they would do if their rent went up again, 39% said they would think about moving somewhere cheaper, while 29% said they would try to reduce living expenses to save money, and 27% said they would think about taking on a side job. The survey also asked how people pay their rent. Forty-four percent said it was paid automatically from their bank account, while 30% paid by bank transfer. Just under 17% paid by credit card. However, when asked how they would prefer to pay their rent, the most popular answer, at 75%, was by credit card. And 81%, said they would like to pay by credit card because it would let them earn points or airline miles! #reading_for_today

“It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” ― Leonardo da Vinci

Fastidious شديد التدفيق - صعب الارضاء

Ex Being attached to a fastidious partner will drain your energy.

Ex The artist is fastidious about every detail in his painting.

Self-aggrandizement تعظيم الذات

Ex His self-aggrandizement was annoying to his co-workers.

Ex True leaders do not rely on self-aggrandizement.

Self-aggrandizement

menace تهديد

Ex Procrastination is a menace to a successful career

Ex Traffic congestion is a daily menace in big cities.

eminence مكانه رفيعة

Ex He has an eminence in people's hearts because of his humility.

Ex Her eminence in science is widely recognized.

Vine Video App Returns with Ban on AI Content Nearly 10 years after it disappeared, the video sharing platform Vine is making a comeback. But this time, the focus is on more than just entertainment — it's now focused on keeping content "human." The original app launched in 2013, and it quickly became famous for its six-second looping videos. Before Vine, short-form videos like this weren't common, and most online videos were much longer. But Vine users made short, funny videos that often went viral, and many online creators of today first became famous there. Even so, the platform closed in 2017 after it failed to make enough money. Since then, short-form videos have become very popular, and apps such as TikTok and YouTube Shorts are used by billions of people around the world. But with AI becoming more common these days, there are more and more low-quality AI-made videos being created on these platforms, too. In fact, one study found that over 20% of the videos shown to new users on YouTube are "AI slop" — low-quality content created by AI, made to get as many views as possible. Now, Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey is bringing back Vine, which has been relaunched under the name "Divine." The platform keeps the original six-second limit for videos, but adds a new rule — all content must be made by humans. Divine already includes 500,000 videos from the original Vine app, and lets users post new ones too. But to reduce AI-made content, users need to record in the app, or verify that their videos were actually made by a person. The team behind Divine says their app isn't only about nostalgia — they want to make a space where "creative power belongs in human hands." #reading_for_today

nonfeasance التقصير Ex The nurse was sued because of his nonfeasance, which caused severe injury to the patient.

Ex The manager was accused of nonfeasance after ignoring safety rules.

factitious مصطنع - غير حقيقي

Ex The fraudulent person makes a factitious smile to steal from kind people.

Ex The friendship appeared factitious from the beginning.

Outlandish

Ex He has an outlandish haircut style where he cuts half of his hair only.

Ex At first, the idea sounded outlandish, but it actually worked.

interrogator محقق

Ex The smart interrogator furnished evidence that incriminated the suspect.

Ex The interrogator questioned the witness for two hours.